“I figured that what may seem like a naively-simpleminded & artlessly traditional legumes-soup to a Greek, could in fact be an unknown source of high nutritional value, a warm, wintry, super-healthy, and super-easy comfort food —hence, The Legumes Chronicles series, where I will be giving you basic recipes for the most common pulses used in Greek cuisine, along with some interesting twists around them”.

Today I bring to you, a classic Greek Lentil Soup plus a cool little twist, to break the routine now and then! But, first things first, let’s begin with how to prep lentils.

How to prepare Lentils before cooking

It is always best if you can find organic lentils. If you do and you buy in bulk you may have to “sort” your lentils before cooking them. I usually lay them out, on one side of a large cooking pan or any flat surface (a “Pyrex” clear-type pan might also be ideal), and “shift” them by hand, in small batches, across the other side of the pan. What you are looking for are really, really small pebbles or pieces of the pod the lentils came in, or even chipped and discolored lentils (suggesting they were a bit dodgy before they got dried). Use a sieve to give them a good, thorough rinse!

Let the steam off, unseal and open the cooker. Add a cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and give it all a good stir.

You can use veggie stock instead of chicken if you are vegan and you can even go for a half stock/half water ratio if you prefer —or if you are not a stock “type” at all, use plain water instead! Be careful if you use the dry bouillon cubes because they are usually quite salty, so make sure you taste your broth before you add any salt.

Canned tomatoes vs. fresh tomatoes: even though I usually try to do all my cooking from scratch I do make an exception for canned tomatoes and/or tomato paste (from a trusted producer of course in fear of BPA tin leaches). You can read all about the health benefits of lycopene, and how it’s found in canned tomatoes here.

Now, onto making things more interesting!

Velouté Lentil Soup ~ Serving Suggestions

Follow the recipe above to make the soup. Then, working with a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches and return it to the pot or use an immersion blender directly in it! In either case, make sure it has cooled down enough to safely puree! Choose any of the assorted serving suggestions below:

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About Me

A stalwart bookworm ever since I can remember myself. I studied English & American Literature and became an EFL/ESOL Teacher. I successfully(!) combined teaching and working as an executive secretary, in a big advertising company and a law firm, for several years. I'm a freelance writer, line editor, and blogger as of lately. Also, a bit ironic by nature but, all in all, quite easy-going. Partner to 1 & mother to 2 cats. I once tried to give up coffee and then swore to never make that mistake again... Read More…

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A morning @ Lake Kerkini {part 2} I didn’t think you’ve had enough of the amazing place, where you can feast your eyes on the horizon for hours on end, and lose the line between the sky and the water, so there you go! Στο βορειοδυτικό τμήμα του νομού Σερρών, μόλις 40 χλμ. από την πόλη